DICKSON CITY — State Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Saturday, recalling the discrimination Irish immigrants faced when they came to the United States, blasted the prejudice that exists today.
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Editor: Sen. Pat Toomey should have turned in his “blue slip” for Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Haywood and cleared the way for her to get the courtesy of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Her nomination by President Obama to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals sat for a year due to GOP obstruction. His behavior was unlike that of Sen. Bob Casey, who followed tradition and turned in his “blue slip” to clear the way for Stephanos Bibas, President Trump’s nominee for a 3rd Circuit seat. Toomey should explain why he didn’t give Haywood the same courtesy.

Federal courts in Pennsylvania continue to rank among the worst in the nation when it comes to women on the bench – 17 percent — and the state is behind the likes of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. It is especially behind for women of color, such as Haywood. Allowing Trump to replace all of Obama’s nominees of color with young white men would deprive our courts of various perspectives and diversity.

The administration is filling 150 federal court vacancies with extremists who have the backing of the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. Toomey helps allow Trump to outsource the selection of judicial nominees and deny Casey the opportunity to provide his constitutional role of advice and consent. Toomey can’t say that he has a fair, bipartisan working relationship with Casey on this issue because he doesn’t.

Bibas is another stolen seat. He is now one step away from the U.S. Supreme Court — a man who federally prosecuted a woman for a $7 theft at a Veterans Affairs Hospital, of which she was innocent. He thinks colonial-era whippings are just punishments and that drug addiction is not a disease. The 3rd Circuit Court would not be better with Bibas on it.

The NRA is no more responsible for gun deaths than a car company would be responsible for vehicular deaths caused by someone driving one of its vehicles under the influence. The NRA is responsible, though, for providing firearms instructor training to the good guy with a gun who traded shots with the recent Texas church shooter and helped put an end to the carnage in Texas.

Rogan states the NRA is no longer a sportsmen’s group. It never was. The NRA was formed in 1871 by Army and Navy Journal editor William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate of the Union Army, who were both dismayed by the horrible accuracy of Union soldiers in the Civil War. The original purpose was for rifle marksmanship.

The NRA is the oldest civil rights organization in the country. While African-Americans were being terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan, the NRA set up charters to help train local African- American communities to be able to protect themselves.

The NRA is active in wildlife conservation, hunter education and firearms training for civilians and law enforcement. The NRA gun safety program has reached 29 million kids.

Contrary to what Rogan states, the NRA does not want people with mental illness to be able to buy all the guns they want. In 2008, after the Virginia Tech shootings, the NRA helped pass the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Act, which would provide increased funding and grants to states to report vital information such as mental health to authorities. Unfortunately, the system has been woefully underfunded and reporting has been lackluster.

Rogan needs to be aware of the facts and needs to look elsewhere to place responsibility for gun violence.

EDWARD ZINDELL

JERMYN

Halt gun carnage

Editor: As a simple math exercise let us compare tragedies during the last couple months: two tragic events occurred involving firearms and one was by a terrorist’s truck.

In the Las Vegas shooting, there were 58 deaths and 489 wounded. In the San Antonio church massacre, there were 26 dead and many wounded. In the New York terrorist attack where the perpetrator tried to get the maximum carnage with a truck driving along a bicycle and running path, the number of fatalities was eight.

In Texas, the gunman had a variant of the AR-15 semiautomatic weapon that at one point was not for sale to the public prior to the expiration of the assault weapons ban. The ban expired in 2004. The weapon cannot be used for hunting, but for killing humans it is all right.

We need common-sense gun laws now. This is the time.

ELLEN ALEXANDER CONLEY

CRYSTAL LAKE

NRA mislabeled

Editor: As a long-standing member of the NRA, it is upsetting to be labeled a criminal linked to every mass shooting since the Columbine tragedy.

Our membership includes people from all walks of life, such as presidents, legislators, doctors, lawyers and others.

If it weren’t for the NRA fighting against the disarmament of the American people, we’d be subjects, not citizens. Our detractors overlook the years of training provided to police officers, the military and the public. An NRA program has taught millions of children safety and gun handling. Most of those bashing the NRA are not well-informed as to our agenda.

We are more than about guns. We are staunch supporters of the Constitution, a document to which few seem to pay any attention. When a president, legislator, judge or anyone connected to the government takes office, they swear to uphold and defend the entire Constitution, not only those parts with which they agree. So, in essence, after being sworn in, to try to change any part of this document without going through the legal processes amounts to a serious crime. Aiding and abetting the criminal element by removing a guaranteed liberty from the Constitution, thereby, would expose our citizens to criminals with no means to fight back.

Yes, we back candidates for office. Is the NRA any different from any others who donate? We are different in that we back candidates for reasons not connected to favors given. We support candidates who support freedom. We ask no favors in return.

Perhaps the media should seriously consider not advertising for these deranged perpetrators. All the media do is set the stage for the next shooter to try outdo the others. Other than praying for the victims and their families, what can we in Pennsylvania do about a tragedy in Texas, for instance?

BOB WAY

FACTORYVILLE

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